The Challenge
by La Toasteur
Summary: Gai is eager to face off with his eternal rival, but Kakashi wants Gai to face an enemy he is completely unprepared for.
1. The Greatest Challenge

**Chapter 1 The Greatest Challenge**

"He's late!" thought Gai. "Late for something he does for himself! What a hip attitude towards life!"

Gai had been waiting for Kakashi for over an hour. He knew his rival's habits, he would eventually show up at the memorial stone, but the wait was beginning to be agonizing. Sitting still was not in Gai's repertoire. To make matters worse, the sun was shining like a beacon of light on the unfurling spring. Nature was exploding with youth. This was not a day to be lazying around or sleeping in. To calm his nerves the green-clad jounin sighed and continued his set of 2000 one handed push-ups.

A streak of movement dashed in Gai's peripheral vision, and there he was. Standing in front of the memorial stone, looking melancholic as ever. Gai would have liked to give his friend the time to mourn his dead comrades, but today was not a day to be wasted in the past. Today was a day for a challenge, today was a day to surpass your rival!

Gai burst forth, "Prepare yourself! Rival Kakashi!! Today we settle it once and for all!"

"Huh?" was Kakashi's only reaction.

"Our score has been tied at 49-49 for two weeks! Let's determine who has more youthfulness today! It's your turn to pick, so what'll it be? Ninjutsu? Taijutsu? A race? I'm bursting with energy I will defeat you in any such challenge!" Gai placed his hand on his hip and flashed a toothy grin.

Kakashi furrowed his exposed eyebrow and sighed, he knew there was no escaping this challenge. He had known this was coming, so he had already thought up a possible event for his rival's dare.

"Actually Gai, I've had a particular challenge in mind for a while. Let's go back to the village, I'll explain there." and just as quick as he'd arrived Kakashi dashed back towards the village centre, Gai eagerly following him. They stopped in the middle of a lively street, filled with shops. Gai's enthusiasm was reaching a boiling point. He tried to guess what the challenge would be. Maybe some sort of obstacle course, maybe some sort of eating contest. Any of these ideas would have made him very happy. He was not at all prepared for the actual challenge.

"For our 99th challenge, Gai, let's compete over the affections of a beautiful young lady." Kakashi had a devious glint in his eye. "We can pick someone here, the first to take her out on a date wins."

Gai's jaw dropped to the floor. His perverted rival might, but the green beast did not toy with the hearts of women. He was horrified at the suggestion. He could not compete in love with his rival, not over the same girl. "Kakashi, this challenge, it is not fair. This girl, we cannot subject her fragile heart to the flames of our passionate youth! It's too dangerous! Please pick something else."

"Huh...I guess you're right, she might be scared off if it's both of us. Well then... why don't you pick out a girl for me to seduce, and then I will pick out one for you, the first to go on a date with his girl wins the challenge."

Gai was at a loss, he knew the challenge was now fair enough that he couldn't back out. "Kakashi, I disagree with toying with the hearts of young women, but if this is our challenge so be it!" He scanned the area for someone who might give Kakashi a hard time. His eyes stopped on Ichiraku's Ramen. Inside was Ayame, the owner's daughter, a vivacious and beautiful girl, one that Kakashi might like, but she also had a short temper that would clash with Kakashi's easy going attitude. "There! The girl who works in the Ramen shop! She's your challenge! Do your best rival Kakashi! Thrill her heart!"

Kakashi was unperturbed, in his eyes Ayame would not be a challenge at all. He began scoping the surroundings himself, wondering if he could find any girl who would be unfazed by Gai's appearance and "youthful" attitude. For a moment he thought he had been too cruel, giving his rival such a hopeless challenge. His eyes stopped on a young girl who was picking out peaches. She was quite pretty, she had shoulder length black hair and soft features, she was wearing a flower printed yukata suited for the warm day. "That one over by the fruit market. The one buying peaches."

Gai looked at the girl and worry began to creep in his mind. Was this challenge truly hopeless for him?


	2. Frets

**Chapter 2 - Frets **

Gai's large eyebrows enshrouded his circular eyes. Beneath the mass of hair, his pupils still fixed on the young woman by the peach stand. All though he'd spent countless hours training his body, trying to understand the movement of each of his muscle, the movements of this girl were foreign to him. How she picked up a peach and clasped it in her small hands, the gasp that came from her lips as the rest of the peaches came tumbling down towards her, how graciously she dodged the barrage of peaches attacking her feet, how she nimbly cowered as the shopkeeper scolded her, the grace with which she bowed repeatedly. This was truly a blossom of Konoha, Gai thought; the prospect of wooing her was making his heart pound in fear.

"Kikumi, you klutz! You've done it again!" the shopkeeper's voice rang in the street.

"Kikumi..." Gai echoed, he now knew the girl's name.

Kakashi's put on a wry smile beneath his mask. "Well...it's about time I head back." and in a puff of white smoke he was gone.

Gai decided he should also depart. In fact it was time to call an emergency session of springtime youthful training. Within 15 minutes he'd assembled his team at their favorite training grounds.

"Team Gai! I've been assigned a difficult mission, and I trust that you, my lively students, will be there to help me."

Lee's round eyes perked with excitement, Neji sighed to himself. Tenten looked annoyed "It's not another S-rank, is it? We just got back to the village 3 days ago."

"No my students! This mission is unlike any I've ever had before, I must use all my powers, to steal the heart of a young lady."

"Gai-sensei! There is no way we could do anything so cruel. What has this young lady done to deserve such a fate?"

"Lee you idiot! He doesn't mean literally steal her heart, I think he means seduce her." Tenten quickly pushed away Lee's silly thoughts.

"Tenten, you are a good kunoichi, you have the intuitions of a woman, and you are quite right." Gai affirmed. "I have a plan, but I need all of your strengths to aid me. Tenten, your advice as the only woman on our team your advice will be invaluable. Lee, as my treasured pupil, I trust you will be by my side. Neji, with your Byakugan I need you to observe this girl, find out everything you can about her!"

"No! No! NO!" Neji's pale eyes squinted. "I **will not** use my clan's ability to spy on some chick you have a crush on! I can't do something like that. I'm sorry sensei, I don't think I can help you with this at all."

Gai saw the look in his pupils eye, and assuming that this mission was too much for young Neji, allowed him to leave. Tenten on the other hand was showing enthusiasm on levels normally reserved for the vivacious Lee.

"Too bad Neji left, his abilities would have been perfect for this!" she sighed. "So, Gai Sensei, tell me about this girl."

"There's only two things I know: her name is Kikumi and she adores peaches."

Tenten smiled, a plot had been hatching in her head from the moment Gai had mentioned a girl. This could be the only opportunity she would get to properly thank her sensei for all the early morning training sessions, for the absurd races and for the constant barrage of YOUTH, which she had faced in the 5 years since Team Gai had been formed.

"Sensei, you're on the right track! You need to unlock this girls heart, and to do that you need to find out more about her…you need to find the keys to her heart!"

"What's inside her heart?" Lee asked.

Tenten was ready to lay on the syrup as heavily as she could, all the while imitating the familiar motions of her green-clad team mates:

"Inside her heart is pure romance! Inside every girl's heart is her prince charming! The man who will sweep her off her feet and give her the love she deserves! He is the image she's built up in her life since childhood. To find the image of this man you must find out more about her! Her lifestyle and hobbies are built upon attracting this dream man! Every girl is constantly trying to attract him; guys are too clueless to notice. Once we know what Kikumi's prince charming looks like….Gai Sensei! You will become him! She will not be able to resist the Springtime Blossoming of Gai Sensei!" She ended with a finger pointing triumphantly in the air and one hand on her hip. Her eyes were burning, but so were Gai and Lee's. She was speaking their language.

"Ossu!!!" Lee instinctively replied.

"Tenten! You truly understand the hearts of women! There isn't a minute to waste, I must find the keys to Kikumi's heart. I may need your advice again sometime, so be ready. Lee!!! Let's go."

"Ossu!!"

And they were gone….

Tenten was amazed at how easily she had managed to get her Sensei to stalk this poor girl. Why hadn't she tried manipulating her socially inept Team mates before? Oh...right...Neji would probably scold her. An ounce of regret seeped into the joy that had been overwhelming her just minutes before.


End file.
